The effect of omeprazole on gastric acidity and the absorption of liver cobalamins.

The effect of gastric anacidity on the absorption of food-bound cobalamins is uncertain. Omeprazole, an inhibitor of the enzyme H-K-ATPase in the parietal cell, is the most potent inhibitor of gastric acidity known so far. In 17 healthy male volunteers the absorption of liver-bound cobalamins was assessed after a single intravenous dose of omeprazole (80 mg) or placebo in a double-blind, crossover manner. The effect of omeprazole on pH, gastric acidity, and intrinsic factor (IF) concentration was measured in aspirates of gastric juice 5 min before and 30 and 60 min after the administration of liver homogenate containing 0.74 nmol of 57Co-labelled cobalamins. Omeprazole treatment resulted in anacidity (pH values above 6.0) in 14 individuals 30 min after the liver dose and in 15 individuals after 60 min. The IF concentration was unchanged in the omeprazole experiment as compared with the placebo experiment. The absorption of liver-bound cobalamins was 310 pmol (189-501 pmol) in the omeprazole experiment as compared with 415 pmol (150-549 pmol) in the placebo experiment (median values and range, p = 0.5228). We suggest that anacidity induced by omeprazole does not reduce the absorption of liver-bound cobalamins.